Cleaning Detail
by Firetoast312
Summary: While on board the Sprawl Station around Saturn, a simple janitor finds himself dealing with a bloody mess that is far above his pay grade. Barely able to piece together what's going on and with his only companion being a mental patient, the two now desperately try find a way to escape the nightmarish outbreak starting to spread throughout the station many once called home.
1. Chapter 01: Cleaning Detail

**"Cleaning Detail"**

Life wasn't too bad on Titan Station. The Sprawl, while its economy was declining since the 'Ishimura Incident' hadn't had the biggest of impacts of everyday life as it would on the cities established on planets and moons. Here on the station, all that mattered is they kept enough spare parts to fix up ships and serve as a home to the hundreds of thousands of citizens that lived there. There was a decline in population too, most of those people either up and left or found other jobs that required them to move elsewhere but regardless such events weren't anything a janitor had to ponder about. Arson looked down at his uniform with his surname, _Nakov_ , and let out a sigh. While it certainly wasn't anyone's desire to clean up for a living it ironically was a more stable job than most professions nowadays. While most people began chasing engineering, welding, or any other job relating to vessels and ship maintenance, they would always be in competition with millions of others wanting the same position. No one really wanted to be a janitor, nor a waiter, nor a cashier, which is exactly why Arson got the job in the first place. "Bright side of things Arson, bright side of things." He said in a light Slovak accent to reassure himself.

"Welcome C.E.C. _Janitor_ Arson Nakov." Said the robotic, feminine voice of a voice over that paused for a split second before referring to his job. Why they decided to install such a software was beyond Arson's knowledge, he read somewhere that it brought a sense of familiarity but he still wasn't very sure. Equipping a hand-me-down kinesis module, his I.D., and the usual rag, spray bottle, and bucket for the cleanup order he had been called to.

Waltzing on over to the psych center, he was greeted by the receptionist who spoke up with 'Her again?' to whom he gave a nod in confirmation. Making a left past the entrance doors and down the decorated halls Arson finally came upon 'Patient 028', Layia Kaliskova. The doctor in charge of managing her looked at the blonde-haired girl through the window that was covered in a red liquid. A bit startled at the sight, Arson was stopped in his tracks and looked at the doctor. "Is that-?" He started to ask but was cut off by the psychologist.

"Just a cherry slushy," He responded, "I would have thought she was starting to get better when she asked for such a simple request but I should have figured it was just for the chance to see you." It was a relief to hear it not be blood. Arson had cleaned up a bit of it here and there, naturally, but this was _way_ more than what he's seen in quite a long time.

"Me? When I'm here she's always been receptive to whatever you do and acts fine."

"That's my point, 'when you're here'." The doctor echoed with finger quotes. "I'm not really sure why myself but that's another mystery we're here to solve. In the mean time I'll leave you to it, I still have to check up on my other patients."

"Wait don't you normally have to watch over?" Arson asked

"Well, official policy says that I have to watch over visitors just incase something goes wrong but considering she's harmless, especially with you around, I think its safe to have you as a 'treatment'. Apologies for the label."

"No, it's alright. I guess that makes sense?" With the short silence afterword's, the two parted ways. Arson entered Layia's room a bit weary of what may happen but was met with a bright, wide-eyed smile from the girl that looked delighted to have his company; like a child excited about getting a new present from the store. While starting to clean the window the man half listened to the blonde's ramblings about whatever made up adventure she came up with. To be honest it was an interesting listen but of course it was just a part of her vivid imagination, but quite the adventure it was from the sounds of it. Meanwhile the janitor continued to clean and shine the window until he could see the faint reflection of his dark-brown hair and eyes with Layia still telling the tale of her great adventure behind him.

"This is the emergency system, all civilian and staff personnel in the, Psychiatric Treatment Center, and adjacent sectors are advised to vacate the area and consult your rig for the nearest exit and details." The same voice said calmly. It wouldn't be the first time an emergency like this happened. Last time it had been a small kitchen fire that had spread out of control and the worst one Arson had witnessed was a sudden depressurization of a moderate size room. The former of which was dealt with relatively quickly and efficiently but the latter, well a dozen or so souls were lost when a stray meteorite crashed through the glass. Horrible ordeal that incident was. Following protocol, the janitor set down the rag and bottle about to head out the door before having his arm grabbed by the girl. Looking back at her he could see her once joy filled expression fill with dread with a subtle but visible shiver.

"C-Can I go with you?" She stuttered, "They're coming soon..."

"They?" Arson asked before being thrown off his feet by an explosion followed by dozens of screams. Scrambling to his feet, with Layia close behind him, Arson opened the door to take a look outside. The doctor was already headed back over to him with a quick pace to his steps. "Doc, what the hell is happening?"

"There was an explosion on one of the lower levels. I'm not sure about the details but we're to evacuate to the nearest safe zone." He said calmly. "Hopefully it's nothing too serious, we've already had enough problems recently as it is, ha ha." He said with a chuckle trying to lighten up the mood.

"Doctor," A nurse had called, running up from behind them, "A number of patients are refusing to leave their rooms. What do we do about them?" She asked, trying her best to ignore the rest of the staff darting for the exit.

"Easy there, just tell the others to get whoever is willing and get going to safety. I'll see if I can get them to budge, this isn't like them at all." The nurse nodded with the doctor's instructions before heading off.

"Hey Doc, what about her?" Arson asked pointing to the girl still clenched to his back. He saw a little trail of dust fall from the vent above and looked up in curiosity but nothing showed.

"You too son. Like I said this isn't normal for the patients, and in all my years of trusting my gut something just doesn't sit right with me." The man stroked his grey mustache trying to think up an explanation but to no avail, "Just look after her for now please, I have a feeling this isn't a regular emergency. Either way I won't leave any of my patients behind even if it's just a drill." Arson nodded swallowing to ease his nerves and took Layia by the arm. The older man began going to and from different rooms leaving the two to flee the place themselves. As they joined the panicking crowd the janitor noticed that one individual, a nurse, seemed to have quite a bit of blood on her uniform. More so than what was expected of the profession but her face said that she was just as terrified and confused about the situation as the rest of them. While Layia admired the vast view of Saturn and the station, the rest of the staff simply ran for their very lives.

* * *

 **A.N.: Just a small and quick story about an idea. May continue it, may not, but that depends on what I can make of it. As always, enjoy!**

 **~Firetoast312**


	2. Chapter 02: Crimson Stains

**"Crimson Stains"**

"Evacuation in progress. Evacuation in progress. Please consult your rig for the nearest exit." Repeated the broadcast system again and again. The air had gone still since the duo left the Psych Center. Those that weren't shivering in fear were just starting to catch their breath and ask around about the situation to no avail. Unlike what just happened the tram carried on without a worry nor care in the world. The windowed view showed Titan Station to be as peaceful as ever giving the impression that this was an isolated incident which relieved a number of the frightened staff. With the belief that it was just the station getting old, causing problems as it sometimes did, the station's inhabitants finally caught their breath with a sigh. It didn't take too long to stop at the nearest residential sector, it was only minutes away anyways which allowed those in the railed transport to disembark calmer than when they rushed to their escape vessel. Meanwhile those going about their day at the apartment-like complex didn't give much thought to the sight of a bunch of medical staff suddenly returning from their jobs. Even fewer cared what their excuse was. Arson took Layia by the wrist and the two stepped off the train with the others that lived here. It was a very cozy place to live, the janitor had to admit that much even though the rooms themselves were rather cramped. He couldn't imagine what it be like having a whole family of four or even three reside in a single three or two-room apartment but such questions were put to rest when his medically insane companion pulled him from his thoughts.

"Where are we going?" She asked, looking to him with a blank expression. The man wasn't so sure himself. Of course, he knew protocol said to sit by and wait at the nearest designated safe zone, but protocol was already being disobeyed left and right when those free from watching over the remaining patients decided to call it a day already. Arson still had clean-up jobs piling up anyways so watching over a simple patient like the doctor requested was his excuse if anyone asked.

"Just to the main floor." Arson started, "We'll just be waiting until the all clear signal is received from security. I believe we might be there for a while." Making an immediate turn the two, and the remaining staff still following instructions, rounded up by the large window that stretched from the floor all the way to the ceiling four stories above. Reinforced with steel and tempered glass of course. Immediately Layia pressed her face and hands against the cool window and kept her gaze on Saturn. She was in awe, like a child witnessing the most exciting of movie scenes or amazed by such a wondrous sight. Arson couldn't figure out why thought.

"What's that?" Layia asked another question, this time pointing to the gas giant that loomed overhead.

"What, that sphere looking thing?" The girl nodded in response. It was almost hard to believe they were roughly the same age after hearing that question. "That's Saturn, sixth planet of the solar system."

"There are more?" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Uh, yeah. Eight others." Arson claimed. School had taught him there were eight in total but his father had long kept the tradition of nine, a tradition that had been passed down from the twenty-first century so he had been told, and so too had the tradition rubbed off on him during his youth, but he soon came to know it was just one of those ancient reminders of the days when humanity didn't have to almost literally devour planets to survive. There was a pause between the two. "So, do you-"

"I have never seen it before." Layia interrupted with a little disheartening tone. The man supposed it made some sense not to let patients wander around the station as they pleased, but to never see the sight of a planet? This was even an age where space travel is not as special as it once was no less. She pressed her face against the window again, eyes fixated on the ring encircled giant as if it would disappear should the girl look away for a moment.

"So, do you want anything? Like I said I'm sure we'll be here a while so it wouldn't hurt to grab a drink or two." Arson finished.

"Yes." Layia boldly stated without answering anymore of the man's questions. She was too focused on beating Saturn at staring contest. Arson opened his mouth to ask what it was she meant but gave up to retrieve a snack for the two of them. He was feeling like having a sugary drink and he was sure the blonde girl rarely got to taste such a thing back at the Psych Center, he contemplated whether it was alright to leave her but seeing Layia still glued to Saturn's mighty size Arson thought it would be fine for a moment or two.

The trip to buy two drinks didn't take long, the only thing lost was a couple of minutes at most and a few credits. In one was a canned soda for him and in the other just a bottle of cherry flavored juice, the only thing that came to mind when he thought about what Layia liked. The two enjoyed their time sitting idly by. The janitor didn't have to go back to work and the insane woman enjoyed her peaceful view of the planet above them. Instinctively Arson's eyes looked to a tiny pile of dust that had gathered in the carpet, looking up he had found a vent it had fallen from. The station hardly had any rats residing on it, even though the little rodents were masters at stowing away they could rarely get aboard a ship and leave Earth. There was even one time where a single racoon managed to sneak aboard the station, while amusing to most folks it was a nightmare for Security and maintenance; a fun memory that made living in a metal box, inches away from certain death just the more enjoyable. As Arson looked closer at the vent he could have sworn he saw a pair of dead looking eyes stare back, causing him to choke on his drink in surprise. When he looked back up, nothing. This was the second time today, the first had been back at the ward and now here? The doctor was right, something just wasn't sitting right with the station nor its people in recent months. Now it was starting to show. He took a look back at Layia who now seemed to have restrained herself from the cool touch of the glass and instead sat on the carpet below her with her head tilted just slightly as she lost herself in the mesmerizing view of The Sprawl and Saturn. Her drink was already finished too, the man guessed she must have liked it.

Somewhere on the top floor was a scream dampened by the thick walls and doors, but it was heard nonetheless. One after another, voices started yelling over one another as if it were some strange competition until finally a body fell over the top railing. In that instant hell all but literally broke loose upon the residents. Fire soon started catch on the red carpets that now were stained with blood and ash. The body that fell was disgusting even to the janitor that had to deal with pretty awful messes during his life. Arson could barely recognize the woman as her torso was completely eviscerated leaving nothing more than a meaty husk of a body. He didn't even know how to describe the revolting sight, nor did he want to.

"All citizens are to report to the nearest exit; an evacuation order has been put into effect!" Shouted a man donning the tradition blue suit of Titan Security. Behind him were three others who began rallying the fleeing people and directing the to the exit they just came through. Arson heard rumbling in a nearby vent, he turned to see the grate of metal burst open to a humanoid figure with arm-length claws protruding from each hand emerging from the cramped space. It was mangled like a corpse and opened up like a cadaver at a medical school but it certainly didn't move like either. Charging strait for the security team the horrific monster was stopped in its tracks by the fireteam that mercilessly sprayed their pulse rifles into it. Even when it was down two of the men didn't let up until it no longer so much as twitched. One by one people ran past the security team to seek safety however, and wherever, they could. Soon after more of those, 'things', started popping up and a few were even climbing the damn walls. To stunned with fear, it wasn't until he felt a gloved hand forcefully grab Arson's shoulder and shake it vigorously. "You. Leave. Now!" One of the men said before pointing to Layia, "Get that girl too; we'll handle this!" The janitor looked to the girl who was still sitting peacefully and watching Saturn's winds and sky twist and turn, dance like a performance all while being deaf to the violence and the dying cries around her. Arson rushed up to her, picking her up to get her attention.

"Layia, we have to leave." He said in a quick tone as he constantly checked his back to watch the encroaching monsters inch to the undermanned security team.

"But it's pretty..." She responded somberly, looking at her feet in disappointment.

"We can see it later, now we have to move!" He tugged her along once again just as he did back at the Psych Center. Only this time he was filled with a terror that only deepened as he heard the fading cries of the Security slowly being torn apart one man at a time.

"You!" He heard a shout from behind him. It was one of the Security team using every trick he could to buy himself time but being covered in wounds he knew it wasn't going to last. He bashed one of the creature's skulls in with his smoking rifle and broke another's claw with a stomp of his foot. "Shut the door!" Arson turned on his heels to run back to the entrance controls. With an uncontrollable shaking in his hand he looked at the wounded man, who was now surrounded by at least five of the things, hoping he would make it but alas he fell to the ground when one of the creatures stabbed him in the leg. Another bit at the side of his neck while a pair of them looked at Arson with dead, silver eyes and a salivating mouth that craved flesh. Before the two abominations of nature had any ideas of chasing after them the Security guard pulled out a grenade, "Do it!" He yelled at the top of his lungs with one final breath. Arson couldn't bring himself to pull the lever, he was paralyzed, but a soft hand fell upon his and pulled it in his stead. The blast doors hissed shut in a matter of seconds just as an explosion could be heard from behind the metal plating. Arson's heart was racing, he could hear it beating in his ears. Slowly he looked to his side to find Layia, hand still on his, with their eyes meeting officially for the first time and small, innocent smile on her face.

* * *

 **A.N.: Alas, here is 'Chapter 2'. As always, enjoy!**

 **~Firetoast312**


	3. Chapter 03: Left Behind

**"Left Behind"**

Left standing speechless with wide eyes Arson looked at his companion with worry before slowly turning his head to face the blast door. Whatever was on the other side must have perished from the blast from the sound of it but that didn't stop the horrific image of twisted flesh and bone popping into mind. In the back of his head the Janitor could only silently thank the girl and shower her with gratitude at her quick decision.

"Come let's continue our adventure!" Layia said in an eager tone. The man didn't know what to think of her calm and carefree mindset but he sure wouldn't call this nightmare an 'adventure'. Reluctantly, or rather without any other direction to go, the two turned to long hallway lined with windows and a handful of shops. Everyone that had made it out was already far ahead of them which left the place dead and quiet, so much so that Arson could hear the buzzing and flickering of the lights themselves.

It didn't take long to catch up to the rest of the survivors however, the only way to escape this sector, at least the quickest way, was through the transit system which was currently under heavy security as not to overwhelm the system's capacity. To make matter worse the flood of people still around were desperate to shove themselves into the train with no regards of anything except their own survival. Arson couldn't blame them.

"Everyone please remain calm and stay in order, families with infants and small children will be boarded first. Everyone will be able to leave so please remain calm!" One of the security officer's yelled trying to reassure the group. The station must have been filled with hundreds so if nothing else then the next train will certainly be able to handle them but the real question was: Will everyone not on board be safe until then? Pushing back the horde of panicked civilians another officer signaled the tram off and as it zoomed off there were many cries of protest and anger but fortunately there were plenty of volunteers aiding in keeping the peace. "Everyone remain calm, the next train will arrive in ten minutes it will have room for everyone.

Just as the remainder of the survivors started to settle down a vent from above broke apart and another one of the things from before fell onto the unsuspecting crowd. Without warning it started slashing its long talons at people before security even had a chance to react. More were starting to pour in with another tram coming to a stop. As dozens of people were cut down dozens more of the deformed monstrosities came from the vents. This time there was no order with people no charging through the doors to seek shelter. Arson too was about to run there with Layia grabbed by the wrist but before they and a handful of others could enter more of the creatures crawled from the top of the tram car and lunged at him. Being forced to the ground wasn't particularly pleasant, and the man opened his eyes to a split jaw and wrinkled skin that looked almost as if it were coming off like an old wall of paint. Almost instinctively the simple janitor reached out and reached out for anything that his kinesis module could reach and in the blink of an eye a suitcase slammed into the thing's face with enough force to spin its head a full 180 degrees. Stunned for but a brief second a foot appeared to finish the job and tore the head off from its already broken neck and decaying muscle with a little crack. A little blood spilled on Arson but right now he didn't care for appearances. The creature had fallen back twitching but that was the only good news. The sound of plasma rifle sounds had started to die down with the tram now leaving the station to find safety somewhere else leaving behind the security team and those that remained. Layia picked up the man from the ground and the two watch as everyone else was either dead, dying, or if they were lucky enough, fled. The headless creature that was thought to be dead slowly picked itself up and began blindly searching for the one that had attacked it.

The two survivors slowly backed down the ramp with every step the predator-like things took and before they turned to flee Arson quickly pulled one of the officer's rifles to him, occasionally firing behind him as they made their escape.

It felt like half an hour trying to lose the creatures but it was done, either that or they gave up in search of easier prey. Completely out of breath Arson pushed his back against a wall and fell to the floor exhausted. The place they were in was not much better than the tram station with blood now more present, lights now hanging from their fixtures, and signs of battle scattered about. Layia seemed to fair better with her breath only slightly quickened compared to his, even wandering over to a nearby vending machine that was smashed open to grab a bag of chips for herself. She returned to Arson's side and sat beside him humming cheerfully to herself.

"What," He panted, "are you doing?"

"I'm hungry." The girl answered before shoving a few chips in her mouth. Arson noticed the bottom half of her leg was covered in blood.

"Are you alright?" He asked catching his breath. "Your leg..."

"It's not mine!" She said, eating a few more chips. He remembered now. Recalling the recent events, she was the one that got the monster off of him in the first place. Layia looked out the window beside them. There was a Security gunship that looked to be patrolling the area frantically firing its guns off into space at some unknown enemy. Arson joined her watching the curious sight just before it exploded in a burst of fire and debris scattering away, some of which collided into parts of the station.

"The hell?" Arson whispered. Never in his life had he seen such a thing happen. Sure, he's witnessed the mechanics work on old, malfunctioning ships before but never have they been damaged or attacked to such a degree to outright explode. He looked down at the rifle which read '30' on its ammo counter. The two continued down this new route, the long way around to safety.

Keeping his eye out for every vent, Arson carefully took the lead with Layia happily following along wherever he went. The nearest place they could go was the food courts which would be connected to another tram station but as it stands they would have to get through many more halls and a commercial sector first and as it stood there wasn't much of a chance of surviving, but it was the only chance available to them.

"And then-"

"Wait." Arson interrupted her story. There were three bodies, two piled on top of a third one. It was a strange sight considering the last twenty minutes were without a single corpse but here was not one, but three of them. Something didn't feel right about it. With the rifle unslung and in one hand and the other holding a sturdy bucket with kinesis, Arson shot the latter at the pile of corpses. One of them flipped to its stomach and started crawling toward them with one apparent leg missing. With a momentary sigh of relief that it could actually catch them, Arson took aim and shot it in the head. It still crawled forward. A bit startled at the realization he shot again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. The head was now gone and the creature lie still but this wasn't the first time he saw this. The one back at the tram station was just fine functioning without a head and this one was no different. A shiver ran down his spine as the thought of them learning to hunt and even set traps came to mind. The man shot a few more times in its torso and upon reflex it moved again and started slashing out at him. Frustrated at the thing's durability Arson unloaded all he had left in the rifle into it before running out of ammo and /still/ it moved. "Why. Won't. You. Die?" he yelled between bashing its limbs with the butt of the gun. Layia two seemed to chuckle as she dodged an incoming claw and grabbed its arm and began pulling. The only difference between the two survivors is that the blonde appeared to be enjoying herself a little too much with as she heard the remaining tendons snapping and brittle bones cracking. Destroying and tearing off its arms must have done the trick as finally it stopped in its tracks with even a few more kicks not able to get it to stir. That didn't stop Layia who, after dismembering the thing's arm, went for its last leg and tugged on it while chuckling hysterically with blood covering her lower half. "Layia." She continued crushing its corpse with her foot, "Layia!" Arson shouted, snapping his companion back to reality.

"Yes?"

"It's dead." The brunette stated. He checked his ammo once again and watched as it flashed a red '0' on the counter. "Let's go."

"Adventure awaits!" She said again which was met only with a sigh. If they were going to be encountering these then they needed a way to defend themselves.

* * *

 **A.N.: Here it is, nothing else to say. As always. enjoy!**

 **~Firetoast312**


	4. Chapter 04: Just Beyond Reach

"Just Beyond Reach"

Again, and again Arson's head hammered away with a little pain. It wasn't enough to distract him but the discomfort was starting to show. All that running, all those haunting images of the things, and the constant deterioration of the station with explosions, bodies, and blood. So much blood. 'A janitor is the first line of defense in keeping the station from devolving to chaos.' He remembered an older gentleman who taught him the ropes before retiring to Luna. The man was right for the time but now it was madness. This was something no person would- /could/- have seen save perhaps the most brutal and bloodiest of warzones; the likes of which that haven't been seen in centuries. Even then it was a stretch.

"Are you alright?" Layia asked in worried tone. She approached him until they were barely a foot apart and inspected him as if an officer would with one of their subordinates. The blood didn't seem to bother her.

"Yeah." He half lied. "I just could use a drink or two." With all the traveling the man hardly stopped for a break. He was thankful for only one encounter so however that did not deter him from fearing his surroundings as there were plenty of the damn things not too long ago. Where would they be hiding?

"The food trials are just up ahead, can we go?" The girl questioned looking more excited and energetic now.

"'Food trials'?" Arson echoed. He looked up at the sign covered in blood with barely legible writing that read 'FOOD COURT'. "Oh, the food court..."

"Are they sentenced to death then if we eat them?"

"What?"

"You know, courts always have people brought to the back room. I wasn't allowed back there..." She said with sudden mood drop. "They said it was for special people, but when they were brought in they always screamed about markers." Dumbfounded, the lone janitor tried to make sense of what she was saying. The headache didn't help either. He pieced together what he could before finding the right words to answer.

"Okay, first, the food /court/ is just another name for a place to eat. Second, what do markers have to do with... anything?"

"I like to think they liked drawing." She answered. The two stood there for a good moment, Arson waiting for her to continue but it doesn't seem like she had anything else to say. Letting out another sigh Arson began the trek to the food court as mentioned.

"Come on, let's... Let's just find something there." He said as he beckoned for her to follow.

Through the light flickering path and finally coming upon an elevator. The two finally had a moment of relative safety. The short ride down was quiet with only buzzing of the elevator's generators and Layia's soft humming breaking the silence. Arson expected the doors to open to a more or less clean but abandoned place with maybe a number of chairs knocked over but instead he was hit with the light smell of organs left out for a good few hours. He wanted to puke and the stench alone but of course nothing came up except for a few gags. He hadn't eaten since he woke up before his shift, even then it was only a small protein bar to get him through to lunch. That would have been around two hours ago now. As Arson grabbed the railing to hold himself, the story below had bodies that still lingered, almost painting the floor in a new coat of red with bits of bone and intestines sprawling out like flayed wires; and those were the lucky ones. He could stop his eyes from drifting around and stumbling upon an uncountable number of corpses that had literally been smashed into almost nothing but a pulp which only further disgusted the man. He only prayed to lady luck that the thing that caused that was long gone. "Look it's the planet!" Layia exclaimed with a finger pointing toward Saturn that shined through the long vertical window. Meanwhile her companion shut his eyes trying to mentally block the images he witnessed and doing his utmost to get used to his surroundings. On the brighter side of things, they were alone, and food and water were more than likely readily available for them both, but the problem was actually having the stomach to eat something with the mess around them being as it was. "What's this?" Arson heard not too far away. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he looked to see the girl waving a hand over a stove that had been left on as evident by the few ingredients that were burnt on it. He pulled himself together and up from his slumped state before rushing over to grab Layia's wrist before curiosity urged her to touch it.

"Hey, hey, hey, careful!" The man shouted, guiding the woman a few steps away from the burned mess. "Look, I don't know how long we can stay here as the evacuation ships are leave at this very moment. We'll grab what meager scraps we can and book it to the nearest transport hub. Sound like a plan?"

"Will the book have a title?" She joked while half-heartedly trying to muffle a chuckle. Arson looked at her unamused at her attempt at humor. He opened his mouth to retort but he could not find the strength nor the will to do so, opting instead to put his growling stomach at ease.

After forcing down what could be prepared easily- despite his stomach fighting him every step of the way- Arson had finally washed out the dry taste out of his mouth with a bottle of water from a nearby vending machine. After the hours without a break it felt nice once his headache started to fade and stomach no longer wishing to puke from the horrid sights. While the two remained quiet there was a light ruffle up above them. Arson's eyes were drawn once more to the disturbed dust that fell from one of the vents and readied his still empty rifle. Behind them came a high-pitched screech, the man turned to face it but came upon nothing until a spike-like projectile grazed across his upper arm, the sharp pain causing him to unwillingly drop his weapon. Tilting his head up just slightly was an unholy looking infant that sprout three tendrils from its back and aimed directly at the two. Just like the rest of the creatures it too held dead, silver eyes alongside a missing jaw and its discolored skin. One by one the vents began to burst open as more of the things drew near the two like a pack of wolves circling their prey.

Without a word Arson grabbed Layia's hand once more and made a dash to the final elevator that would take them to the hub, narrowly dodging a swipe that went for his neck. By now there were dozens of them and the elevator still needed to be called. Just barely was the janitor able to keep both himself and the girl safe with his kinesis module picking up chairs, pots, or whatever it was it could grab and use as a makeshift shield from the oncoming attacks. Another one dropped down on the other side of the food court, this time it was different. The still human looking skin that the rest had had been missing in favor of a shiny coat of blood and its once silver eyes had been replaced with glowing yellow orbs. The elevator door opened up and the two backed inside while the new monster began charging at them. Using a chair that was suspended in air, Arson shot it at the thing, staggering it just long enough for the elevator doors to close fully and begin its ascent.

With a breath of relief, Arson put a hand to his new wound, seeing his hand covered in his own blood while trembling with adrenaline. He put pressure on the wound in his best attempts to try to stop the bleeding but he knew it would be difficult without proper bandages to wrap up the wound in. If nothing else, at least his rig was capable of keeping it from getting worse as the fluid within had now slightly drained to a bluish-yellow color indicating that it had used the medical gel that was stored within it. When the doors opened back up there stood two security officers and behind them a wide array of wounded survivors. They too relaxed as they saw it was only two more people.

"Christ..." One said, "I wasn't sure if I could handle any more of the bloody things."

"Wait." The other chimed in bringing up a holographic image of two men. "Yeah you two are good, come on, you're lucky you arrived just in time. The Director is just about to cut off the Public Sector after we leave." Both Arson and Layia were welcomed to join the rest of the group as they waited for the final tram to pick them up.

"Cut off the Public Sector?" Arson asked, "What if there are still other people alive?"

"Believe me we'd like to help them if we could but we just can't afford to let these things into the other sections of the station." The first officer answered. "That outfit." He said, looking at Layia who had been in the same patient's outfit since the medical ward. "Is she-"

"Uh, just medical stuff and such. Doctor had me take her since I was already there." Arson explained. He wasn't sure why they were curious but like every other compliant resident of Titan Station he had no reason to think ill of it. The officer was scrolling through a list of names all marked red save two, but only nodded half paying attention to him before closing the screen.

"None of our business then, just sit tight while the tram arrives."

It wasn't long before their saving grace came along. This time everyone boarded without incident or even so much as a vent twitching with movement. The tram kicked forward and began its trek to the safe haven that was now located in the Government Sector. After hours of exhausting fleeing and paranoia Arson leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. The same thing must have caught up to Layia too as once he felt her head rest upon his shoulder his eye opened to catch her already fast asleep. Even the look on her appeared as if she had just brushed off the incident as just that: another incident. Sleep finally claimed him too.

* * *

 **A.N.: No it's not over yet. Just a little respite for the two. As always, enjoy!**

 **~Firetoast312**


	5. Chapter 05: Unexpected Stop

**"Unexpected Stop"**

Pain. Just a throbbing pain throughout his body. Arson awoke with blurred vision to the sound of burning fuel and cable wires that were about to snap. On his back were a pair of soft hands shaking him in an effort to get him to stir but his body begged him to give it a rest. Ignoring the pleas, the man held himself up from the metal floor that was running with blood, some of which was his own. His hearing came back to him when the familiar voice of an officer reached him along with the occasional rifle rounds.

"Twenty seconds and we are leaving!" He yelled over the growling and gurgling. Being brought to his feet by a fellow survivor and Layia the group made their way out of the tram wreckage and met face to face with what was left of the brute that had stopped them. While being pursued by the things it was still a sign of relief that it was dead else there wouldn't be much of a chance for any of them to make it out alive. The tunnel behind them was crawling with the things, even the ceiling held a few new shapes of half torsos with scorpion-like tails. It didn't take much encouragement to get the group going as the horrors that followed closed the distance.

The leading officer rushed everyone just beyond a set of blast doors, pulling a lever to seal it shut but a barbed spike got through and pierced a woman in the chest. The man that was helping Arson had left to rush to the woman's side whom fell into his arms. The other's remained silent while a quiet whisper was heard followed by the sound of a flat lining R.I.G. Both officers took their helmets off to give their quick respects for the dead before urging the others to continue to their destination. While the man was hesitant to go he nevertheless said his final farewell before leaving the woman- perhaps his wife or someone else he held dead- in a peaceful state. There had been nearly thirty of them when the group of survivors had left the transit hub, now they were down to six. To make matters worse, they hadn't even left the public sector and were currently stranded in one of the C.E.C.'s three main facilities that connected to the Government Sector. Their escape was just on the other side of the crossover tubes.

"Damn this station." Said the younger officer who slammed his fist into the floor repeatedly while swearing between punches. The man who had lost his wife already held a blank expression of loss and finally another woman that was with them started to tremble in fear and hopelessness at the sight of the others breaking. Aside from Layia, who didn't seem to be bothered, Arson was already ready to call it quits and slumped himself against a wall.

"Everyone, keep it together!" Barked the remaining officer. The group looked to him or if they didn't at least kept an ear out for what he had to say. "There are nearly a million souls that lived on this station and for all we know we six could be the last survivors aboard it, but our ticket out of here is just over there." He said pointing to the Government Sector's direction. "Now you can either sit here and die, or you follow me and maybe, _just maybe_ , we can escape with our lives. Got it?" He looked to the battered bunch he called a group expecting any sort of remark but none came. "Good. As it stands there's plenty of equipment around here to use as weapons and there should be a place to get med packs along with it. Now dust yourselves off, pick yourselves up, and let's get moving. Corporal, what's your ammo status at?"

"Uh. T-Two and a half clips left. Sir." The previously furious officer stuttered.

"That should be good enough to get us to where we need to go."

The group, now silent, trudged on through the blood-stained corridor, the maintenance stop just up a head before there was a heavy banging on the sealed doors as well as shuffling in the vents above. The senior officer hurried everyone into the rusty elevator cage and called for its decent. The thing barely had enough room for them all to breath but fortunately it held up their weight long enough to reach a level higher. The gated door opened up to a small storage room that wasn't much larger in terms of space. It was clean- though a bit dusty- which was a first since the nightmare had gotten loose but they weren't here to admire its tidiness.

"There should be a rivet gun and a plasma cutter in the storage chest over there. The kiosk over there in the corner also might have something of use." Came a rough voice. It was the man from before. He skipped over the chest, leaving it for the others and instead went straight for the store that welcomed him with a slightly glitched voice.

"W-W-W-Welcome C-C.E.C. Contractor S-Sigmund Olsen." It welcomed as the man stepped into the kiosk. Meanwhile the leading officer had taken the tools and set them across the table at the center.

"So, this is it. Here." He first slid the rivet gun over to the woman, "Do you think you can keep a straight aim?" He asked. The woman nodded. "Can you?" He asked again.

"Yes!" She yelled, clutching the tool to her chest like a precious heirloom.

"Alright, and for the other miss," He said before sliding the plasma cutter over to Layia. Her excited expression turned to a pout as Arson's hand intercepted it. "You already have that kinesis module, we need everyone armed for this."

"I know, but uh..." The janitor gestured up and down Layia's outfit with a subtle suggestion that perhaps it was not the best of ideas considering her mindset. Especially the look on her face when she tore off the limbs of one of the monsters only a few hours prior.

"Point taken. In that case you two stay close. We don't want to lose anyone else." The officer agreed. Just as they finished their short exchange, Sigmund left the kiosk with grey, worn down E.V.A. suit and a pistol in one hand and a small med pack in the other. "Where did you get that?" The senior officer asked. His greying hair and beard had been shielded behind a faded yellow visor but if anything, it would be better protection than the three remaining survivors in everyday clothes.

"It was a gift from my father, 'for dire situations'. He said. My only regret is that I didn't have it sooner." He said, pushing the med pack onto Arson. "You're going to need this friend."

After making plans for the trip, Arson had finally managed to stay up on his own two feet again. The officers took point, opening the only door to reveal a vast, industrial-like room with many catwalks and a hot open flame that looked like an incinerator on the opposite end of the room. Much like the rest of the industrial and production sector of the station it was rusted, corroded, and in desperate need of replacement but of course if it still worked then it didn't matter to those in charge. Admittedly it would probably be more trouble than it's worth too considering the ever-growing resource crisis for humanity but that didn't mean it was a safety hazard. Also like the rest of the station there were walls painted with blood and trails of desperate hands trying to cling to the floor in an attempt to get away but alas there was not a single body to prove they were at least successful in some way. One medium sized door on their right was burst open from the other side, the nameplate above it flickering 'ERROR' on a constant loop. Whatever made that hole either must have been powerful or one survivor decided to go out with a bang considering the blood. As gruesome as it was Arson and the others had silently hoped it was the latter.

Layia started to shake her head of her own thoughts, her companion falling back to meet up with her. "Hey, Layia, something wrong?" He asked in a gentle voice trying to ease her down.

"It's too loud and there are strangers." She responded. There were plenty of still active machinery still working around the clock and the new party members would explain why she kept herself quieter than before. She had a pained expression on her, the woman's hands clinging to the side of her head as if they would completely block out the noise but it didn't appear to have much luck. Slowly she grew more and more irritated by the noise she heard. "Aargh!" She yelled, "The kids won't stop yelling!"

"Kids?" Arson asked just before the screeching was then heard by the rest of the group. The high-pitched scream sounded like that of multiple kids getting excited over recess and to their horror it was partially true. a few dozen children with salivating mouths, sickly grey skin, and large claws for fingers had emerged from the busted open door followed by a handful of yellow sacks with infant limbs. The former of which had been met with a hail of rifle rounds, rivets, and plasma but more kept pouring in. They were easy to take down as a few shots would do the trick but there were too many of them to control. One lucky one had pounced from the ceiling above onto the other woman with hands wrapped around her head while the others quickly swarmed her. Despite the rest of the group's best efforts they could not stop them. The pack of children-turned-monsters tore off her leg and an arm soon followed. As her cries for mercy fell upon the deaf ears of the things they finally took her head. Sigmund had been focused on the smaller ones that exploded after one shot to their body while the two officers desperately kicked and beat their way out of being surrounded. One made a dash for Arson while he was dealing with another behind him but Layia, still struck with blind anger from the noise, stopped it in its tracks with a hand grabbing its head and slamming it against the railing. After mopping up the last of the pack all that was left were Arson and the other's watching with chills as they watched the mental patient's brutality. Again, and again, and again, she repeated the process while she started to laugh out with bloodlust in her eyes and the crimson liquid splattering against her chest and hand once more. The thing latched onto Layia's arm trying to break free but she would not have it. Being tensed up unable to move one step the others watched as the claws lost their grip and where should've have been a skull had been replaced with crushed brain matter and shattered bone.

Trembling with adrenaline the woman's eyes darted looking for her next target until Arson's hand grabbed her shoulder to snap her out of it, "Hey. Hey!" He yelled to get her eyes to look at him. "It's dead already. Enough."

"Oh." She said realizing how quiet things were again save the machinery. "Again?" She asked still scanning for another one of the things. She was going to wander over to the many bodies that surrounded the now deceased woman but Arson held her back with a tight hug from behind. "They're just over there!" She said while struggling against Arson. While the two wrestled a set of lasers took aim at the woman.

"Wait, she's not going to harm us!" Arson tried to explain.

"You sure as hell better hope so, but if I so much as see her turn her attention like that on _us_ , I will not hesitate to shoot her. Are we clear?" Said the senior officer. Arson acknowledged the man's threat and was finally able to calm Layia to a more peaceful state. When things settled down the group gathered around the dismembered body of the former party member they had just lost and stood for a moment of silence. It was a disgusting sight seeing the bone and flesh in such a state but sadly they have seen worse before. Even still, devastated by already losing another person, one could almost feel their morale drop to a new low.

* * *

 **A.N.: First off I'd like to thank those that took the time to review and enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! I wasn't expecting this story to get as much attention as it had especially seeing how old the series is at the time of writing this, but I'm glad to see the it's still alive and well, so thank you! Regarding whether Isaac will make an appearance I will have to say probably not; at least not in the flesh as he is off doing his own thing on The Sprawl however, references to his major actions and the effects of them will be present as they do affect the rest station in some way.**

 **Anyways that is all for this chapter, at first I wasn't sure about adding additional survivors to the party but I felt it was necessary, after all we can't have a simple janitor suddenly know the ins and outs of everything not related to his job!**

 **Also I bumped the rating because of this and the previous chapter's content, if that matters to anyone.**

 **As always, enjoy!**

 **~Firetoast312**


	6. Chapter 06: End of a Nightmare

**"End of a Nightmare"**

"They're everywhere!" Shouted the young officer wildly firing his weapon to little effect. The group's only saving grace was that the halls and walkways limited just how many could make their way to them but unfortunately ammo was not on their side. Bodies piled up while Layia say back and hummed to herself as she was still not trusted by the officers with any sort of tool or weapon. Meanwhile, Arson could barely hold his arm steady as the things never seemed to end and to make matters worse new types of them had started to crawl from behind the bodies. The janitor tried his best to make every shot count but his trembling arm couldn't keep strait. Almost immediately he felt Layia's soft hands snake around his arm while she still hummed a quiet, gentle tune to herself. She kept his arm strait, took aim at one of the creature's claws that was getting a little too close for comfort and fired.

"Take it." She whispered in his ear. While he couldn't make out what exactly it was she meant, his left arm apparently did as it had reached out to grab the claw with its kinesis module. In that instant it clicked in the man's head when he manipulated the claw to face the monsters in front of them. He wasn't the only one to notice this, Sigmund too witnessed Arson launch the claw and impale two of the creatures.

"Go for the claws, sever the arms!" He yelled at the security guard whom were close to running dry on ammunition. He decided to join Arson's new method of fighting the things, using his own kinesis to tear off claws from the dead ones only to fire it back seconds later.

"Door is open, let's move it!" Shouted their leader who picked his weapon back up and gave cover to the retreating four. One of the smaller ones latched on to his back but had failed miserably as the man held the mutated monster by the three tentacles and smashed it repeatedly with his rifle.

The door shut behind the five as the legged it toward their beacon of hope: a transport rail that would take them all the way to the government sector, all the way to safety. The place was filled with a flesh-like substance that covered the walls and engulfed machinery with its organic grasp. It was disgusting to put it lightly. Unfortunately, the group was unable to vocalize their disgust at the place as the doors and vents behind them started to burst open through the sheer weight of the monsters that followed. The older officer launched a grenade at the horde crammed into the narrow hall behind them leaving it painted in red. They were just in reach; their newly lit hope was right in front of them. It was only after a deafening howl that they heard something that would have crushed the will of anyone: "Please remove debris from track." Said the feminine voice softly.

"Oh hell, now of all times!" Sigmund swore to himself. The others fought tooth and nail as the man tried to think up a plan to get them out of this. Cornered, the senior officer felt the pain of two slashes across his arm and helmet respectively, the latter of which split in half revealing a bruised man with messy black hair; the glass had made a few cuts across his face but he pressed on knowing that any chance to take care of it would result in his death. The young officer received a claw stabbing through his forearm and scraping his chest armor but it was his adrenaline that decided to use his own limb as a sort of shield however painful it might have been through the screaming. Layia had stolen the rivet gun that Arson had on his side while he himself held an average sized crate to the entrance trying to hold off the dozens of horrors trying to get it. Together the two of them thinned the horde one monster at a time but it was futile with more coming in by the minute. Above the center of the room was a crane dangling a steel beam precariously in the air, the man, without warning, took the plasma cutter he gave to Arson and looked at its holographic '3'. He took aim, the wire falling on the center of the three lasers and with one pull of the trigger cut right through it. Not even a second after the wire had been cut, gravity in the room shut off.

"Emergency. Crane wire compromised. Gravity has been disabled until appropriate staff have cleared the hazard." The robotic announcer's voice said. Using his suit to his advantage, Sigmund had hurried to the front of the transport to lift the fallen wreckage out of the way of the tracks with ease. The others had been caught off guard as they all had lost their footing. Fortunately, the creatures did too as they floated off the ground, scrambling to try to kill their prey.

After dislodging the obstacle in the way, Sigmund rushed to the aid of his new companions, helping them to kill off a few of the creatures and retreat inside the safety of the transport car where they did their best to tend wounds while in zero g.

"Sigmund, come on, get aboard!" Shouted the older officer holding his broken arm.

"Automated systems offline, please clear hazard or initiate manual override." Sigmund's helmet opened up and he looked to the others with a smile. The creatures were only meters away from the transport car, one of them swiped at the man but missed by inches.

"I'm afraid this is where our paths split. I can get you all to safety but as for me..." He looked to the console. "I believe it is the end of the line."

"I can do it, I'm almost done anyways-" Said the older officer.

"Not today friend," He declined, shutting the door on the officer. "Not today."

"You're a good man Sigmund." Arson commented from behind the glass.

"She always told me that." He acknowledged, "Take care friends, and farewell to you. Perhaps we may meet in a place where nightmares are just that." With his finally goodbye the man sent off the tram until finally it reached a new section of the track line. The four could do nothing but watch the silhouette of the man slowly disappeared.

Arson tended to the Corporal on the ground, trying to stop the bleeding while the other officer slid down to a seat with a defeated expression. There were no words on the trip, at least not until Arson took a look out the window and saw a beam of light cut through the furthest and middle track. There looked to be another transport on the middle but it was caught behind the beam. That transport headed back and docked with the old ship that had been docked to Titan Station: The U.S.G. Ishimura. What they were doing was beyond him but he never got to see what happened as the beam of light was headed toward them too, but before it had the chance they had arrived at the docking bay of the government sector.

Battered, wounded, and pushed to the brink of collapse from exhaustion, the survivors of the outbreak had finally made it to the government sector if only barely. The younger officer now held his wound which had him wince out from the sharp pain but never the less he was grateful it was only his arm and nothing vital save the narrow incision that would have pierced his lung.

Outside their transport car was a squad of officers that surrounded them. They each held their rifle ready to fire on their superior's orders but eased when they saw who its passengers consisted of. Their superior, a Captain, approached the opening doors to meet with them.

"Sergeant, are these the last of the survivors?" He asked, looking at the worn janitor and carefree patient. "We need a medic team over here!" He yelled, waving down for two medics after seeing the wounds on the two officers.

"Yes sir, we're all that's left."

"I thought you had almost thirty souls with you in the report."

"I did, sir, I did but..." He stopped himself, looking toward the direction of the public sector with a look of shame on his face.

"You did the best you could." The older man reassured with a hand placed firmly on his junior's shoulder. "Get these three to that last evacuation shuttle, you too, you're too injured to be of much use here." He ordered.

As Arson rose to his feet, he felt like waking up from a true nightmare of his own as the halls were clean and well lit, no longer were there blood stains that could be measured in gallons. No longer was he afraid of the dark as the halls were lit with bright lights and polished tile. The squad had escorted them to the last evac ship and he was ready to drop at the first sight of a seat. It was like he entered another world compared to the horrors of the public sector with its mutilated corpses and twisted monstrosities that stalked the halls. He was safe now. He wasn't sure what orders had the other officers stay and defend the sector but he was just happy he could say he couldn't care enough about it. He just wanted to leave.

The pilots must have read his mind or had the same mindset because as soon as the four of them boarded, with a doctor making his rounds to tend wounds, the shuttle doors hissed shut and the engines kicked to life.

"Well that was a fun adventure." Layia whispered to Arson, careful not to be heard by the others. The janitor rolled his eyes but kept to himself, lying his head back to rest properly for once.

"It's over," He said to her as she took a seat in his lap, "It's done with."

"Of course not." She said with a chuckle which shot Arson's eyes wide awake now. "They're still coming, and when they do, I will have the best story to tell!"

* * *

 **A.N.: Of course I know it was rather short lived but there's only so much that can be done! Either way I believe it was the right time to do so. Thank you for reading this (short?) story of mine for a franchise that's old but not forgotten! I might make a sequel if I can come up with a good concept for it but at the moment of writing this note I'm not sure I could do so effectively, still it's on the table. Anyways...**

 **As always, enjoy!**

 **~Firetoast312**


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